Codification of semi-heuristic global processing of optimal design models

Processing of global information (or knowledge) in optimal design models is usually heuristic, although it may be based on rigorous principles. These semi-heuristic procedures depend on the skill and expertise of the designer-analyst and tend to be difficult to codify in forms suitable for computer processing. The present article offers several suggestions about how some global knowledge may be obtained, organized, and used in the development of mathematical models and active set strategies. A design example motivates and illustrates these suggestions.